Within only a few moments, the boy was gone and the demon was back.
Chapter 47
Tom ached all over. The pain of turning back into his demon form was almost as bad as the first time. Not quite, but at least similar. For once, since coming to Astlan, Tom actually felt relieved to be a demon. This form, hooves and all, felt more comfortable. He didn’t feel like he was about to explode anymore. It just felt, ‘right.’ What a strange thought.
He felt like he could really relax. In the short time he’d been human again, his whole body had felt under deep stress. As if forcing itself into some unnatural position. It was altogether unpleasant. “Aaagghhh,” Tom sobbed. Talk about your Chalker-esk nightmare. Somehow he seemed to be mentally conditioned to prefer this form. Conditioned so that his old body was the unnatural one. Tom wanted to cry. He was a boy! not a demon! Naturally though, demons had no tear ducts so he couldn’t. What was he going to do? Even if he could somehow shape change into his old form, he knew he wouldn’t be comfortable. He’d always be fighting the urge to be a demon. There seemed like there was no going back!
“That was fantastic Tom!” Rupert’s voice brought Tom’s thoughts back into the kitchen. “I know it was hard, but for a first try that was great. It gets easier the more you do it.”
Tom hoped so. He couldn’t keep it up if it didn’t. “Yeah?”
“Yes, now try again. It’s the only way.”
Tom really didn’t feel he had the energy. Oh, sure physically he was recuperating fine now that he was back in his demon form, but mentally he just didn’t feel up to it. “I don’t know. Maybe I should wait awhile.”
Rupert was impatient, “And when the priest wakes up, and morning comes? How long do you think we can stay here. We’ll have to leave soon, you gotta practice. What happens if you pop back into demon from in the middle of the market.”
“A lot of people start fainting.” Tom answered testily. He knew the boy was right, he just couldn’t bring himself to want to try again. It was, Tom was sure, like the damn bicycle/horse etc. analogy, if you fall off, try again immediately. “Very well,” he couldn’t stand Rupert’s stare.
Tom relaxed, it wasn’t any easier this time. In fact it took longer because Tom had trouble concentrating and going into a trance state. Eventually however, he managed to superimpose the images, the feelings. Eyes closed Tom felt himself shrinking, contracting into the repellent puny pink and white form. From the inside, his skin felt feverish, again he felt like a bomb waiting to go off. He opened his eyes. Rupert was grinning at him.
“Can you manage to talk?” Rupert asked.
“Yess...” Tom answered hesitantly. His voice sounded weak, whiny. “I think so.” Tom had to concentrate to keep from exploding while he talked. He decided to gingerly test things. He stood up. He swayed and almost fell over. God, this damn form had no balance. He swayed gently, balancing as best he could he took a few steps forward. The floor felt really weird under his bare feet. He looked down, it was just a smooth wood floor. It must just be his feet, they seemed awfully tender compared to his hooves.
As he turned, he was trying to come up with a story in his mind about what to tell Jenn and the others. Given this belief thing, he didn’t want them to know he was the demon. But what could he tell them? Concentrating too much on what to tell people and not enough on his lack of balance, Tom began to fall over. He reached out and his hand rammed into the stone of the fire place. The shock of pain in scraping his hand along the rough stone jolted him. Agony ripped through his body as he lost control and his muscles started ballooning to gargantuan proportion again.
Jenn woke, she didn’t know how much later it was. Probably some time, considering how rested she felt. It was hard to tell though as there were no windows in the chapel. She glanced around; Gastropé was still asleep. The bound priest was wide-awake and staring at her fearfully. What was she going to do about him? The candles had burned out but light was coming under the door to the outside.
She got up and stretched. She was also hungry. She decided she’d explore the other room, the demon had gone in there, but hadn’t said what it was. She walked over to the doorway and looked through. It was a bit lighter in the kitchen as some filtered light was coming down the wide chimney. Sure enough, it was a kitchen. Actually rather strange for a temple, but then not many temple’s she’d been in looked like this place. The kitchen, however, proved to be rather bare upon closer inspection. No food was on the shelves. Actually, she suddenly realized, there was no demon or Rupert in the kitchen either! Where were they? She ran back out into the main room. They weren’t there either!
“Aaaaaggghhhhh!” Jenn said in frustration. What had that damned demon done? Had it kidnapped Rupert back to the Abyss? If so, the poor kid was gone. How could she ever get him back? The sound of her voice woke Gastropé.
“What’s the matter,” he asked, rubbing his eyes.
“The demon! That’s the matter!”
Gastropé immediately jumped to his feet looking around wildly. “Where?”
“He’s not here, nor is Rupert! That’s the problem, I don’t know where they went!” Even as she said this, the door to the outside opened. Goddess! they’d forgot to bar it again. How stupid could they have been? Light, albeit not incredibly bright due to the overhang in the ally way, poured into the room. Rupert stepped into the room. Jenn sighed a sigh of relief.
“Rupert, where have you been, you don’t know how...” her voice trailed off as a young man followed Rupert into the room. She had no idea who he was. He was roughly her own age, but a bit taller, with rather long curly black hair. He was wearing breeches tightly belted at the waist and a shirt that didn’t fit too well. Actually, he was rather cute, she thought in the back of her mind. As he carefully shut the door behind them however, Jenn noticed that he seemed extremely tense. Like he was trying to keep something bottled up. He was almost gritting his teeth. She imagined he’d be turning red in a moment from the stress he seemed to be under.
“Who are you?” Gastropé’ asked the young man.
“His name is Edwyrd,” Rupert said quickly. “He’s my cousin.”
“Your what?” Jenn asked. She didn’t know Rupert had any cousins. Certainly it was unlikely he’d just pop out and find one immediately after entering a strange city.
“His cousin,” the young man said tensely. “Amazing really. I’d just entered town, passing through, and I stopped in the market to get an apple when who should appear out of nowhere but Rupert.” The fellow seemed to be forcing himself to seem casual.
Gastropé and Jenn looked at each other. It sounded just a little too strange. Coincidences like that just didn’t happen. Jenn stopped suddenly, where was the demon? “Rupert where’d the...” she paused, thinking of the priest, and this unknown Edwyrd fellow, “Tom, go?”
Rupert looked up at Edwyrd and said, “uhm, he had to return home suddenly. Something about some conclave of... uhm,” he looked at the priest, knowing what Jenn actually meant, “... animages, meeting.” He didn’t care so much about letting the priest know anything about the demon, it was just that it was probably better to play along with Jenn so she wouldn’t suspect Edwyrd.
Gastropé was looking back and forth between Rupert and Jenn, totally lost. “Who’s Tom? and what about the d...”
“You know,” Jenn said cutting him off suddenly, “Tom was the fellow who got upset with you when we first met.” She gestured with her head to the priest and the hand by her side to Edwyrd. Gastropé caught on, sort of.